Toward a boundaryless psychology

Canadian Psychology, Aug 2003 by Latham, Gary P

Just as benchmarking is used in industry to minimize re-inventing the wheel, G. Latham and Heslin argue the benefits of I/O psychologists adapting extant theory and research findings in clinical psychology and systematically testing them in organizational settings. Specific attention is given to theories and methods in cognitive behavioural psychology with regard to self-regulation. In the training literature, I/O psychologists have focused almost exclusively on the trainee while ignoring the trainer as well as the trainer-trainee relationship. The authors conclude their paper with a discussion of research and theory in clinical psychology on the therapist and the therapist-client relationship that may be applicable to organizational psychology.

The second paper by Seijts and B. Latham focuses on ways that findings in social psychology have already advanced knowledge and understanding of organizational behaviour. They point out ways that the two fields have studied similar phenomena from different vantage points, and the benefit of having done so in terms of external validity. The authors then suggest additional avenues of research for I/O psychologists based on current findings in social psychology.

The final paper by Lord, Henges, and Godfrey1 is arguably the most audacious. They attempt to explain a theory of employee motivation, namely, valence instrumentality expectancy theory, in terms of neuroscience.

These papers are discussed by Peter Suedfeld from the perspective of a social psychologist, Janel Gauthier from the perspective of a clinical psychologist, and Jack Duffy from the perspective of an industrial-organizational psychologist. Suedfeld is a scientist, Gauthier is a scientist-practitioner, and Duffy is a practioner-scientist.

Resume

La presente serie d'articles traite de la necessite d'integrer la psychologie en tant que discipline fondamentale. Leurs auteurs decrivent les avantages que tirerait la psychologie en tant que science et pratique si elle comptait sur des psychologues qui seraient a la fois au courant de la theorie et de la recherche elaborees a l'exterieur de leur sous-specialite et qui s'appuieraient sur celles-ci. Plus particulierement, chacun des trois articles de cette serie etudie les progres potentiels dont pourrait jouir la psychologie I/O si elle tirait avantage des connaissances provenant de la psychologie clinique, sociale et de la neuroscience.

[FOOTNOTE]

* Accepted by the previous Editor, Dr. Vic Catano./Accepte par le Redacteur en chef precedent, Vic Catano.

[FOOTNOTE]

1 The paper by Lord et al. was accepted as part of this special section. However, it was inadvertently published in a previous issue: Lord, R.G., Hanges, P.J. & Godfrey, E. G. (2003). Integrating neural networks into decision-making and motivational theory: Rethinking VIE theory. Canadian Psychology, 44 (1), 21-38).

[REFERENCE]

References

Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.